WOW..NOW THIS IS A ROCK!

HI EVERYONE.....RICK & DAVE CHECKING IN WITH SOME NEWS THAT JUST BROKE ON ANOTHER VERY IMPORTANT DIAMOND SALE THAT GOES DOWN IN THE "ICE" HISTORY BOOKS!  HAVE A GREAT 4TH OF JULY.

Jaw-Dropping Jewels

Athina Onassis, the billionaire daughter of Greek shipping magnate Aristotle Onassis and the step-daughter of Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, auctioned off this 38-carat diamond -- which once belonged to her late mother, Christina -- for $7.1 million on June 11, 2008, Reuters reported. The diamond sold for roughly twice as much as expected.

TYLERS DREAM

For anybody out in there in blog land ....to describe this old Portland haunt is very difficult to describe in words. Nicks is a staple restaurant located in a retro cool neighborhood in the southeast section of the city. When our family would stop here for a coney-mac salad & RC colas it was the best of times. The owner, Frank Nudo was a one of a kind operator who would rant & rave about the Yankees, Political issues, Movies and his favorite entertainer in the world Neil Diamond on the floor of his restaurant. Frank would remind you of Louie in Taxi. Customers loved him and new walk In's couldn't figure it all out. The cast also included "The Commander Kenny" who worked at Nicks all his life serving Coney's and mixing it up with the trade....also in the bullpen was Herbie who was also a lifer.......Let me take you into the world of Nicks as you will take a step back in time with a art deco bar, red booths, walls plastered with sports & entertainment memorabilia. Above the door was a 1950's black & white TV and in the corner above the back wall a 1970's color TV....If you walked in around 2pm you would see a mound of cash on the back bar area as they never rang up a sale......Oh...did I mention that they would never write orders down or generate a ticket! When you were ready to make your exit they would ask you to repeat what you ordered & then they would round it off in their head.....It was always a moment of expectation to get your final number! The mood changed at Nicks when the Commander passed away from cancer. Frank & Herbie were never the same after his death.....A few months ago Frank sold the building to a developer who like us has loved this place since he was a kid growing up in the area. Tyler as a child would always comment to me "Dad when Frank retires, let's buy this place".....I would give Frank the business & tell him he has a buyer! Frank would let us have it "Never going to sell boys"........When the media announced the retirement & sale of Nicks the place was flooded with Customers getting their last taste of the best Coney Island hot dog that the world could offer. The owners of the building had a host of restaurant & bar operators pitching them on their vision of what concept they would feature in the historic location.....They liked Tyler Rogoway's the best & he will keep the dream alive starting in June.
Thank's to a wonderful group of investors that have a true love for this one of a kind establishment & Ty's ideas & concept to pay tribute to the original owner (italian born) Domenick "Nick" Caracio who opened in 1935 and Frank Nudo (took over in 1960 after working for Nick)......I'm so proud of my son Tyler.

ARE WE MELTING?

So there I sit having my morning Coffee and turn to the Business section and read in shock that the Federal Govt is giving (drum roll...please......) 33 BILLION a day to stabilize U.S companies.

Yes I gazed at the number twice, maybe three times to make sure it was not my eyes or a typo.

I'm sure no economic wizard, as a matter of fact I know very little how all this works along with 95% of the population I'm sure.....It is beyond our thinking isn't it? BUT.....When your handing these thieves billions to keep them propped up and in business while they have been making stupid decisions and raping the accounts with hundreds of millions in ridiculous salaries, Private Jets flying all over the world, lavish parties and a retirement plan that would make Rockefeller jealous.....something is VERY wrong here. A broker that I know told me that if Brenanke did not give Bear Stearns all that borrowed money the market could of taken a tail spin and we would of had a run on the banks like the photo that appears on this blog (taken during the great depression)....What will they call this one "The Incredible Depression"? What is on the US plate right now? Home pricing plunging, plastic debt at the all time high, stocks getting hammered, banks in serious trouble ( Washington Mutual now proud to hold a -1 rating) ......A war that will never cease and end up costing Trillions, and three yahoos running for President that have NO plan to dig us out of this embarrassing mess. Just like me ....They do not have a clue....and don't look at Bush to save the day because I KNOW MORE THAN HE DOES!  What is the good news here? I changed my car insurance to Geico.  Smoke some good cigars while ya got em....We are in for a nasty ride!  Now that I got that off my wallet, why is it the sickest looking people always work in health food stores?  Why do E-Invites offend me? Put a damn stamp on it.  Oh.....Did I tell you I sat next to the ugliest lady on the planet the other day (on a plane)  HOW UGLY? She was so ugly when she was born the Doctor slapped her Mother! Barnum & Bailey would of hired her for a circus attraction (That damn ugly).....Guess what she does for a living?  She is a beauty consultant!  I almost lost the two crackers they served me! Hey..I don't mean to be picking on her looks.....but god- damn this woman was ugly. What else? I'm hooked on the National Review Magazine. Tough to find but what great writing. That's all for now. 

SLICK WILLY & THE BILLIONAIRE

Isn't it amazing that Bill Clinton left the White House with a zero bank account and today thanks to friends like (pictured above)

Ron Burkle who is worth billions has given Clinton millions in banks stashed away all over the world. Today's expose on this amazing come back kid in the Wall Street Journal reads like pure fiction. Burkle who has raised millions for the Clinton's elections put his pal (Bill) on the board of his company called "Yucaipa" where they buy out companies & then sell them off to the wolves.....One being Wild Oats Markets. Clinton is just a poster boy for the company and makes appearances at their social functions to impress the gawkers who invest. Here is where it gets really interesting......Mr Clinton is one of three owners of the global fund designed by Mr Burkle. Guess who #3 is?Mohammad bin Rashid al- Maktoum who is the ruler of Dubai. Now that his big fat mouthed wife is making her power play for President, Bill needs to cut ties with his pals because these activities of sovereign wealth funds & giant pools of cash will become a major stumbling block for her chances to win. Bill Clinton's cut would bring him 20 million from the sale of the grocery chain. Where is all that cake Mr Clinton? His handlers say that he still has not settled the issue of his payout. His speeches around the world have earned the disgraced President tens of millions.....But the ruler of Dubai's pay day to Clinton is a big fat number. Interesting huh?

THE ULTIMATE QUESTION I HAVE FOR YOU.....

This is a photo taken of a In n Out Burger location in the Palm Springs area...It is located right off the freeway....Very busy intersection. Now here's the question I have.....If you notice in the photo, located right next to the famous In n Out is a Carls Jr Burger....I think there is also a Taco fast food joint that is also located on this freeway off ramp. OK...I can see if a customer has the total craves for a lousy Taco.....but lets face the facts....why would anyone with half their wits drive into a Carls Jr when there is a In n Out right next door???? Of course the parking lot was jammed at In n Out....and maybe one car in Carls Jr......But I gotta tell ya....This is a true mystery to me. Yes ..I had a double animalized.

WATCHING HILLARY CRUMBLE

Last night I was one of the few (I'm sure) that sat through both debates of Dems & Repubs....I thought Charlie Gibson was going to fall asleep before me! The GOP hopefuls were at least straight forward and threw out their positions on the issues. I thought Mitt Romney looked the most like a leader in this debate.
Let's face it, this guy saved Staples, saved the Olympics from financial disaster and charted many companies from the deep red to black...and was a like able Gov. Romney is a smart cookie and would make an excellent Pres. Yeah he has flipped on some issues, but who hasn't? They are Politicians for crying out loud! Rudy looked good, McCain appeared very old to me which will hurt him with the influx of young voters this time around. Ol Huck is a mystery to me.
I think he will find New Hampshire (liberal state) to be a tougher battle field than Iowa. Now let's turn to the Dems.....It was embarrassing watching that line up of nothing but blah blah blah.......They all pounded the desk a few times and the word "CHANGE" must of been thrown out at least 1,000 times. Not one of them gave a straight view on anything....Bill Richardson looks stupid at this point. Obama really appeared like a cigarette junkie that needed a smoke....Hillary is the most plastic - phony political aspiring hack I have seen.
Loved it when she got real angry & started shouting with that loud obnoxious voice. My God this woman is so dreadful. After watching her over the last year wearing her man clothes, the cackle laugh, the bullshit she vomits daily, the flips & flops.....I FORGIVE Bill Clinton. Nothing made me happier to see that bitch go down in flames (3rd horse!) .........Now she looks desperate with her jabbing at ol Obama. Ya got to hand it to this guy....He has never been held to the fire to get a straight answer on anything, he has hardly any sense of humor,
he has no track record and the voters are checking off his name!
This is a total mystery to me. The young voters like him, because most of them do not read a newspaper and get their information from John Stewart and MTV. They have also forgotten a day in history Sept 11. We better have someone this time around that has balls of steel and it sure isn't Clinton or Obama. Back to Gibson who has to win an Emmy for being the most boring moderator in election history. My bet on this Primary is Obama winning again by a few votes and Romney picking up some steam....Maybe McCain. If they are so stupid to give Huck the nod....GOP is in major trouble. I just hope for Clinton to have another screaming fit in her hotel suite on primary night! The BEST!

A CHAPTER LOST IN TIME..........

This is the movie theatre that I went to as a kid growing up in a cool neighborhood in Portland Or. This movie theatre is still there and pretty much looks the same as when the guys would walk up (or parents would drive us) and see a double feature. What happened to "Double Features" anyway? The first movie was usually a "B" grade sci-fi film with actors you recognized but never knew their names. Then there was the intermission so the weird candy guy that looked totally crazy would load us up with pop & junk to eat during the movie we REALLY came to see. We were still going to this theatre during junior high and that's when it did not matter what movie was showing! We were there for one thing....I don't have to waste your valuable blog reading time for you to get my drift on this.......Today when you walk into the historic Moreland Theatre you see the seats torn, carpet has almost evaporated into the floor, a few light bulbs are out....but that is OK because it has not turned into a Gap or a Starbucks (even though they are across the street!).......And the best news is.....The Moreland still smells like going to the movies by the aroma of the popcorn popping in the old school machine they have there. I hope this wonderful memory of my childhood will still exist for future generations to understand and enjoy what going to the movies is really about. I would like to add to this blog that both of my kids who are now grown also have fond memories of this movie theatre from their childhood. Oh...and YES they play cartoons before the show begins....figure that!